Bound in Love

Last week we read the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, when God made his presence known on a mountain, and the disciples responded. It was a big dramatic manifestation of God, with Moses and Elijah, and a voice coming from the cloud. And the disciples were frozen in fear. Jesus gave them instructions as they came down from the mountain, and the disciples were obedient to him, trusting in him.

Sometimes God comes to us in that kind of awe-inspiring way, but other times he comes quietly. Whenever he comes, it is an invitation to respond to his voice with worship, obedience, and trust.

In the readings today, we continue the theme of God’s presence and our response. In the Old Testament reading, the prophet Elijah climbs the mountain of God and takes shelter in a cave. In this passage, the mountain is called Horeb, but in other passages the same mountain is called Sinai. This is the mountain where God’s presence has rested. This is where Moses received the Ten Commandments and the law that he brought down to give to the people. This is where the mighty voice of God might be heard. But this time, God is heard in the still small voice, “a tiny whispering sound.” Elijah feels God’s presence, and he hides his face in his cloak, and later he continues his prophetic ministry.

The story from the Gospel of St. Matthew shows us another time when God’s presence was revealed to the disciples. The figure walking toward them on the sea is terrifying, but then God in the person of Jesus Christ speaks to them. Peter jumps out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus. Peter has a faithful response to the voice of God: God asked him to walk on the water and so he walks on the water. But then doubts creep in and he begins to sink. Peter recognizes that he is not God and therefore cannot do what God can do. But he doesn’t lose faith. Peter calls out to God, “Lord, save me!” And God responds by stretching out his hand and catching Peter. All the disciples recognize God in this Rabbi named Jesus, for they do him homage. And they say, “truly, you are the son of God.” They adore him, and eventually they all go out on their missions as Apostles.

Elijah the prophet recognizes God in the still small voice, and the disciples in the boat recognize God in the person of Jesus Christ. Their response is an example for us today. When we recognize that God is God, the appropriate response is worship and trustful obedience. Our God loves us, but he is not our buddy. He is our God, to whom we should give due adoration and worship. He is our Lord, to whom we should give obedience and service.

In the Psalm today, we can recognize God from the list of attributes. The psalm says that kindness and truth have met. Our God is truth itself, and he is kindness itself. The psalm says that justice and peace shall kiss. Our God is justice itself, and he is peace itself. Remember that God is being itself. He is Almighty and essentially simple. St. Thomas Aquinas says that, “in God, power, essence, will, intellect, wisdom, and justice are all identical.”

We human beings are not essentially simple like God. We are complex creatures, full of parts that work together or against each other within us. We see from the gospel story today the complexity of St. Peter. He is afraid and trusting, full of doubt and then full of knowledge; he thrashes about in his complexity. God, on the other hand rests in his simplicity. Remember that when Moses asked God what is your name, he was told “I am.” Thus, God is kindness, and he is truth, and he is justice, and he is peace. He is love, and he is mercy. These are all the same thing in God.

He is God, through whom all things were made. He is God, who came down from heaven and dwelt among us. He is God who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. This God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us. This God is worthy of worship and obedience.

Like Elijah on Mount Horeb, and like the disciples frightened in the boat, our recognition of God as our Lord should drive us to worship him as our Savior. We come together for holy mass to worship him and to adore him. In obedience to his instructions, we participate in the memorial of his sacrifice on the cross in the liturgy of the Eucharist. Here, in the liturgy of the word, we sing his praises and meditate on the sacred Scriptures he gave us.

Justice demands that we not limit our service and worship of our God to an hour on Sunday. We are supposed to go and live our lives as his disciples. Our lives should be marked by the intersection of kindness and truth, Justice and Peace. We can be kind in the grocery store. We can stand for truth in the public square. We can point out that true justice is found only in the love of God. We can promote the peace that passes all human understanding, the peace that comes from our loving father.

God is. When Moses pressed him, the Lord said, “Tell them ‘I am who am’ sent you.” When we recognize the God who is, our lives should be changed just as the lives of the apostles were fundamentally changed. Just as they did him homage, we should do him homage. Just as they acknowledged him as truly the son of God, we should receive that truth in our hearts and reflect it in our lives. Mass is where we offer him worship. Outside these church walls is where we offer our lives to him in thanksgiving.

Let it be true that in us others see kindness and truth meet. Let it be true that in us others see the intersection of Justice and Peace. May we take this encounter with God in the Mass and share it simply in our lives with our neighbor. May we respond to his presence as the disciples did.